Live cover (practical)
Recommended1080×1920 9:16
Practical full-screen vertical for Live entry cards. Same pixels as Stories/Reels stills—different chrome and job.
Use in toolInstagram · Image size
Instagram Live Cover Size
Instagram Live covers commonly use a full-phone 9:16 frame at 1080×1920. Keep faces out of chrome bands, then download in your browser—this is not a Reel or Story export.
Browser crop · stays on your device
Crop your Instagram Live cover
1080 × 1920
Add a photo to crop
Upload a vertical photo—or try the sample—then keep faces between the UI risk bands before you download.
Size specs
This is a Live-stream still—not a Reel you publish to the grid/Reels tab and not an ephemeral Story. Keep the hook out of top and bottom UI bands.
Publish
Export this for Instagram upload.
| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live cover (practical) Recommended | 1080×1920 | 9:16 | Practical full-screen vertical for Live entry cards. Same pixels as Stories/Reels stills—different chrome and job. | Use in tool |
Live covers open a room—Reels and Stories publish clips
When you go Live on Instagram, the entry card is a vertical still that has to say the room is open. Creator practice commonly ships 1080×1920 (9:16)—the same pixel box as Stories and many Reels frames. The job is still different: Live badges, viewer counts, and comment chrome sit on your art in ways a finished Reel or a 24-hour Story does not.
Reusing a Reel cover or a Story export without re-checking Live UI is how titles vanish under the Live pill or sit under the bottom comment stack. Reuse the photo for brand continuity; re-crop with quieter top and bottom bands for the stream card.
Feed posts (often 4:5) and highlight covers (circles) are unrelated. Do not stretch a 4:5 post into Live art. Profile pictures remain circular squares and never replace a Live cover.
Put one clear hook in the mid band: face, product, or short lockup. Paragraphs of on-image text die after compression. Update the cover when the Live topic changes so returning viewers are not tapping yesterday’s art.
Good vs weak crop
Same full-screen frame—top and bottom UI chrome cover anything glued to the edges.
Survives Live chrome
- True 9:16 Live export
- Face in the clear mid band
- Quiet top and bottom
Reel cover with covered type
- Title under the Live badge
- 4:5 post stretched taller
- Only detail on the extreme edge
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Live cover
1080 × 1920
This page. Stream entry / Live card still.
Reels frame
1080 × 1920
Published Reel—same pixels, different chrome.
Story still
1080 × 1920
Ephemeral Story—different stickers and job.
Feed post
1080 × 1350
4:5 feed photo—wrong ratio for Live.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Live cover | 1080 × 1920 | This page. Stream entry / Live card still. |
| Reels frame | 1080 × 1920 | Published Reel—same pixels, different chrome. |
| Story still | 1080 × 1920 | Ephemeral Story—different stickers and job. |
| Feed post | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 feed photo—wrong ratio for Live. |
Live cover vs Reels vs Stories
Reels publish a finished clip to the Reels surface and often the feed. Stories disappear after 24 hours with sticker-heavy chrome. Live covers invite people into an open broadcast with Live-specific badges. Same 1080×1920 box, three intents.
If your best frame is from a previous Reel, crop it again with Live chrome in mind instead of uploading the old cover unchanged.
- Instagram Reels size — 1080 × 1920 published Reels
- Instagram Story size — 1080 × 1920 ephemeral Stories
Leave the top and bottom quieter
Live UIs draw badges, viewer counts, and comments over your pixels. Treat the mid third as the only guaranteed message area.
- Bleed backgrounds full-bleed; protect only the hook.
- Avoid paragraphs of on-image text.
- Re-check after app updates—chrome moves.
File requirements
JPG for photos, PNG for flat graphics. Prefer sRGB. A sharp 1080×1920 usually beats a soft upscale.
- Practical Live cover
- 1080 × 1920 px (9:16)
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB)
- Not Reels publishing
- Same pixels, different job
- Not Stories
- Ephemeral sticker surface
- Not feed post
- 4:5 · 1080 × 1350
Common mistakes
- Uploading a Reel cover without checking Live badges.
- Treating a Story export as finished Live art.
- Stretching a 4:5 feed post into 9:16.
- Soft screenshots instead of a true 1080×1920 export.
How to use the crop tool
Upload a vertical photo, choose Live cover (1080×1920), keep the subject between the risk bands, then download. Cropping stays in the browser.
- Prefer JPG for photographs.
- Preview on a phone before you go live.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the 1080×1920 JPG or PNG from the tool.
- 2
In Instagram Live setup, set the cover / entry still before you go live (labels vary by app version).
- 3
Preview on a phone with Live UI in mind.
- 4
If type sits under chrome, re-crop toward the mid band.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an Instagram Live cover?
1080×1920 (9:16) is a practical default for Live entry stills. Keep the subject out of top and bottom UI bands.
Is the Live cover the same as a Reel or Story?
Same pixels often, different job. Reels and Stories publish clips; Live covers invite people into a stream with different chrome—re-check before you go live.
Can I reuse a TikTok LIVE still?
Often as a starting file—both are 9:16—but re-check Instagram Live overlays before you publish.
Can I crop Live covers here?
Yes. The in-browser crop stays on your device until you download and set it in Instagram Live yourself.